


Kisses That Don't Happen On Ferris Wheels

by SpencerMalloy



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Amusement Park, Fluff, I wrote the first draft when I was 13 actually, I've been working on this for months, M/M, Mortal!AU, So yeah, but I had a great editor so now I think it's good enough to post, rollercoaster, solangelo, you have no idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 11:25:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17202590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerMalloy/pseuds/SpencerMalloy
Summary: Will and Nico meet on class field trips to the same amusement park





	Kisses That Don't Happen On Ferris Wheels

The problem with Nico di Angelo was not something obvious. It was not the bags under his eyes that showed how little sleep he got. It was not the paleness of his skin that made sunblock a mandatory in his everyday life. It was not even the ever-present scowl that made his peers wary of his rare smile. These could all be classified as ‘problems,’ but they were all subjective and on the purely on the outside. The problem with Nico di Angelo was something that he could never get rid of, only find ways to avoid: the nagging feeling that somehow, some way, everything was going to go catastrophically wrong.

His therapist hadn’t diagnosed him with anything, just said that he was definitely paranoid, and definitely had intrusive thoughts. Which were conflicting because even though he was so scared of things going wrong, he also wanted to shove his hand directly into a blender. But anyway, it wasn’t like his worries didn’t have merit- he could remember how the conversation went exactly. 

 

**_The structure of this extremely old building we’re having this session in could cave in at any moment._ **

_ Will it? _

**_Maybe. Probably not. The amount of times it hasn’t is much more that the amount of times it has, but you could either take that in good faith or as a count down._ **

_ Nico, are you afraid of this building falling in on us?  _

**_Not really. A little. Like, on a scale of one to ten, about a two and a half._ **

_ I assure you that the building will not cave in on us.  _

**_Probably not. But it could. And I doubt that you’ve personally checked the foundation of this building lately, if ever. As a realist I don’t like false hope and as my therapist I trust you not to give me any. It won’t fall in. Probably._ **

He was almost hyper-aware of the things around him that could go wrong, that could be fatal. Shelves falling on heads, old light bulbs spontaneously combusting—for such a long time these thoughts had taunted him, a shadow that walked alongside him every day. For such a long time he was afraid. Now he was just...annoyed. Curious. It was very rarely that these fears, albeit at least semi-rational fears, got to him anymore. Because while they could happen, they didn’t most of the time. Nico chose not to take that a comfort or a countdown. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen. That was just a bridge he’d have to burn when he got to it. This was probably why he always looked like he was so disinterested with life—because it was fleeting.

One would think, what with such a wide awareness of death, that he would be extra careful in everything he did. He was careful with some things. He thoroughly chewed his food to prevent choking and he didn’t wear necklaces while he slept and he _always_ waited for the walk sign to come on before crossing the street—and if there wasn’t a crosswalk, he kept walking until there was one. On the other hand, there were some things he couldn’t help pushing. Swallowing spoonfuls of cinnamon (Three times, to make sure he was doing it right), using a fork to dig his toast out of the toaster _every time_. He had to lie to his father about being allergic to the dissolving plastic of laundry detergent pods after he started to calculate how many he could stuff down his throat before he was physically unable. He figured he could get down seven, in theory—three before he wanted to stop. It only took getting one to the back of his tongue before he pulled it out. Another must have popped in the container and gotten on it, so his throat was exposed to the chemicals inside before he could swallow it. He was thankful for that, in hindsight—the only side effect he felt was a swollen throat. Instead of a stomach pumping. And probably death. The worst part was definitely lying to his father to get rid of them because he knew if they stayed in the house, he’d actually eat one.

 

Anyway, Nico had some problems. All of which he should probably be on medication for—but he and his therapist would work all of that out at a later date. Right now, he was on a school trip to a local amusement park and his friends pushed him into going on the Ferris wheel. They pushed him into getting in line because they didn’t know he’d be compelled to jump out of it. They only meant well, so he decided not to put up a fight. Besides, he wouldn’t do that with them watching.

 

“Sorry, four people is the limit for one car,” A worker in a blue shirt closed Jason, Piper, Hazel and Reyna into the booth with a rope. Literally, all that was keeping them from death was a _rope_. “You can get on the next one, though.”

 

“Uh…” He could feel the sweat starting to prickle under his arms. The line behind him was daunting and we wasn’t sure he could make it through that many people by himself. What kind of seventeen year old boy couldn’t get on a ferris wheel by himself? Pathetic. His last hope was the whole thing crashing and saving him from this mess. He let himself peek at the wheel. It wasn’t crashing. Shit.

 

“Oh hey, are you going up alone?” The blonde standing behind him asked. Nico managed a nod.

 

“Me too! Mind if I ride with you?” He asked. Nico nodded again and the guy grabbed his arm and pulled him into a little yellow swinging booth of terror, latching the rope shut before the person running the ride even got the chance. He was grinning—Nico was not.

 

By the time he realized that he was facing backwards it was too late to switch places. His stomach was already in knots and now he knew for sure he was going to get motion sickness.

 

Their booth wasn't the kind from Charlotte’s Web, where you sat on a bench and went around. He was kind of glad for that. It was a half circle, like a teacup with seats, two little squares cut out of the circle on either side so they could get in and out, a large gap all the way around to see out of and the other half suspended by a bar running through the middle to give shelter from rain. Nico was very glad it wasn’t raining. They started to move upwards.

 

“Hi, I’m Will—”

 

“Hi Will, I’m not good with heights.”

 

“Oh, I gathered that,” he said, extending an arm across the gap between them.

 

Nico scoffed. His back arched uncomfortably and the cold pole digging into the skin of his forearms was uncomfortable, but not more so than the thought of letting go of it. “Nice to meet you, I’m not letting go of this thing and you can’t fucking make me.”

 

Will’s smile got a little wider. “Okay then. What’s your name, Potty-Mouth?”

 

“Did you see the four tires at the base of this ride? Do you realize that _that’s_ what’s moving us? If we lost balance we’d topple—“

 

“The amount of pressure this giant wheel is adding is pretty sturdy. The chances of us toppling are slim to none.”

 

The wheel stopped and Nico gulped. They were half way up and there was a tree within arm’s reach just behind him. He wasn’t going to lean out to touch it. He wanted to grab the branches. He couldn’t let himself lean out and touch it.

 

“So, Jupiter Academy’s having a field trip here too?” Will asked. “I’m from Half-Blood High.”

 

“Love Half-Blood High. Used to go there,” Nico loosened his hold on the pole.The height was a little less daunting now that they were stopped. “My name’s Nico—do you know Annabeth?”

 

Will was casually reclining on what little back there was to their booth. “Sort of—wait, you mean Nico _di Angelo?_ _The_ Nico di Angelo?”

 

He nodded, sitting up straight and trying hard not to curl back into himself. It was a challenge when the ride started moving again. “Yep, that’s me. Why? What do they say about me?”

 

"Dude, you have no idea the legacy you've left behind. You are a living meme--"

 

Nico rolled his eyes. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“I’ve had to listen to kids utter the words  _ ‘Oh he’s cute, but he’s not my type.’  _ twenty times a day for the last three years. This is a daily occurance I live with and you are telling me you don’t even think I’m telling the truth--I’m offended,” Will said. “Hell,  _ I  _ say it daily. It got me out of one of Miss Dodd’s math tests once. It also got me detention, but I didn’t have to take the test.

 

He could feel a pull in his stomach that made him want to laugh. He didn’t. “That’s… kinda hilarious, actually.”

 

“You think? Dude!It was the highlight of my Sophomore year!”

 

“Good for you.”

 

Will stared at him with inquisitive eyes “You, sir, are a household name at Half-Blood High—why’d you leave? You know, I could cash in a bunch of bet money if you told me.”

 

Nico shrugged. They were coming back down again. He tried not to think about it.

 

“I just wanted to be closer to my sister. And I maybe kinda sorta wasn’t ready to ever look at Percy Jackson ever again and remember what a cringey fourteen year old I’d been when I liked him.”

 

Will nodded. “I knew you didn’t sell your soul to some bad one-liner company in Hollywood. Can’t wait to see Cecil’s face when I take his fifty bucks—and I get the old crush thing. _I_ can barely stand to look at Percy, either. I was so closeted when I liked him.”

 

“You’re gay?”

 

“Nah. You’ve heard of Best Buy, right? Well, I’m the Best Bi.”

 

That one made Nico crack a smile. He almost let his back rest against the booth. Almost. Then the booth swayed in the wind and he remembered they were approximately fifty feet in the air. He took a moment to regulate his breathing before he continued. “He’s really _not_ my type, though,” He insisted.

 

Will shrugged. “Eh. He’s got decent hair—but that was it. The true test of attraction is imagining your crush deadass bald. And if you’re into bald, which is totally cool too—imagine them with a mullet. If you still like them, then maybe you should go for it.”

 

Nico wondered if the top of Will’s head had as many freckles as his cheeks. Then the ferris wheel stopped again—and they were at the very top of the ride.

 

“Oh gosh, this is how I die.” he could practically feel the bile rising in his throat.

 

“We’ll be fine. The odds of us dying are very low.”

 

The wind around them picked up and Nico saw Will’s eyes widen as they booth swayed.

“Raised slightly by wind friction, but still very slim. It would be bad for the ferris wheel business if these things just went around collapsing.”

 

Nico closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to die up here. He was more likely to die on the bus ride home than he was to die of some freak roller coaster action. That logic made him loosen up a bit.

 

“You okay?”

 

Nico opened his eyes hesitantly. He looked around them. There were hills for miles, his tree friend only forty or so feet below them. Reyna was waving from the booth in front and slightly further down. He waved back. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

Will looked visibly relieved. “Good. I thought you were going to start crying and there’s nothing I can do for a cute crying boy when I can’t move without shaking the booth and making it worse. Or falling.”

 

Nico raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t missed the word ‘cute’. “You could probably make it without falling. I mean, don’t tempt the fates, but you probably could.”

 

Will smiled awkwardly and pulled at a beaded necklace around his throat. Even his throat had freckles, and his hair looked like it tickled the back of his neck. 

 

“I’m good with rides and heights and stuff—it usually feels nice to be so close to the sun and the clouds and all. But it feels like we’ve been up here awhile and I’m starting to get sick of it.”.

 

Having someone else to be nervous with eased some of Nico’s nerves. He peered out of the slitted sides for entrance and exit. “Isn’t it kind of ridiculous that they only have a rope?”

 

“Maybe it’s so people don’t get a false sense of comfort from a door. Y’know. So they don’t lean up against the thing that can drop you ninety feet on your ass,” Will suggested. The wheel started to move again.

 

“I’ve never thought of it like that—that actually makes a lot of sense.”

 

“Thank you, I happen to be at my most rational when I feel like I’m going to die.”

 

Nico smiled. “That’s good. We can balance each other out then—It’d be great if I had someone to be rational _for_ me when I’m having panic attacks.”

 

They passed Nico’s tree again and this time he reached out for it. He missed.

 

“You’re crazy.”

 

“A little,” Nico admitted.

“And bipolar.”

“Not medically,” Nico confirmed. “Actually I prefer contradictive.”

 

Will cracked a grin at that one. “So would your friends mind if I stole you for the rest of the day?” he asked.

 

“I think you’re worried about the approval of the wrong people.”

 

Will laughed a little. “Would _you_ mind if I stole you for a little while?”

 

“Not unless you force me to go on that giant fucking wooden roller coaster—“

 

“Good thing for you, the largest roller coaster I’ve ever been on was the Log Floom. And that one doesn’t count because it’s half roller coaster, half insane boat.”

 

“We can do that one at the end so we don’t have to slosh around in wet clothes.”

 

“Sounds like a plan.”

  
  


They only went around a few more times before the ride stopped. When their feet were back on the ground, Will grabbed Nico’s hand again and started running. Nico really hadn’t been happier to be dragged somewhere since- well, ever. This was the only good time he’d ever been dragged anywhere.

  
  


***

So Will was apparently a master of sneaking food onto rides—Nico should really start carrying a purse more often.

 

“It’s not a purse, it is a satchel,” Will said defensively. “And I mostly brought it for sunscreen and an umbrella; I’ll have you know.”

 

They were in a weird balloon ride that was spinning them around in the air—so their conversation was mostly yelling. Nico looked skeptically at Will’s tan.

 

“What do _you_ need sunscreen for?”

 

“Everyone needs sunscreen! It only takes _two_ major sunburns in your _life_ to be at a higher risk for skin cancer.”

 

Actually, Nico knew that. His deluxe bottle of sunscreen was in Reyna’s backpack.

 

“Also, I _so_ don’t need any more freckles. Have you seen me? You could find whole constellations in them.”

“I think they’re pretty,” Nico whispered.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Nothing—pass the cotton candy.”

 

The ride started to slow down and Will’s head was already spinning around, looking for the next ride. Nico thought it was kind of adorable how excited he was. He let himself get dragged onto a ride he never would have gotten on otherwise.. He had no idea what it was called, he didn’t get to see the sign because there wasn’t a line and Will just pulled him onto the platform.They buckled themselves in the minute the ride was starting. Oh yeah, and said platform? _It fucking dropped out from under them._

 

It was okay at first, they were just spinning a little. He could take that. It’d make him dizzy, but he could take that. Or he thought he could. Then it started swinging back and forth.

 

“Uh, Will? How high does this thing go?”

 

“You ever been horizontal to the ground while fifty feet in the air?”

 

“Will, no.”

 

“Will, _yes._ ”

 

Nico hadn’t realized that it had picked up speed. His vision was being attacked by his bangs and he losing faith in the bars that were holding him in his seat. It was loose on him because of how small it was, and regardless— _there was a fucking buckle on the bottom to keep it in place._ He really should have thought this through—

 

“ _Fuck!_ ” His hair fell from his eyes and he was staring directly at the ground. Will wasn’t kidding when he said the thing went horizontal.

 

“Nico, there is a ten year old next to you.”

 

“I’m sure they’ve fucking heard the word before, Will! Oh gosh—this is how _I fucking die!”_  He closed his eyes tightly. It would be so easy for the ride to break. It would be _so_ easy for him to unclip the buckle on his safety guard and slip out.

 

They plummeted back down and were propelled back up again instantly—Nico was barely noticing the occasional rotation. He did notice Will screaming with every drop.

 

“We’re—We are so _not_ going to die!” He screamed again.

 

Even with the intense adrenaline running through his bloodstream and all of his instincts telling him that it was a bad idea—it was all he could do to keep his hand off of the buckle. The safety guard was stuck tight in place, or else it would have jiggled more with his weight being held up completely by it every forty-five seconds when they went horizontal. Unbuckling it probably wouldn’t even do anything.

 

“Nico—you okay?” Friendly reminder that the wind is blowing away their voices and all of these conversations are being screamed.

 

“I’m fucking _fine!”_

 

“You don’t _sound_ fine!”

 

_“I’m fine!_ I’m only going to _die_! That’s all!”

 

Nico focused on holding tightly onto the safety guards handle so his hand wouldn't betray him.

 

“While I agree with the death thing—that’s not happening any time soon. Besides, there is _no way_ I’m letting anything fall for anything but me _.”_

 

They dropped again after Will said that and Nico didn’t try to muffle his laughs as Will screamed.

 

“Did you just use a line on me?”

 

Every ounce of wanting to unbuckle his belt melted out of him when Will’s hand covered his own. 

“Maybe!”

 

The next drops got smaller, easier to handle until finally they were at a complete standstill, legs dangling into a collapsed floor that was slowly returning to its normal position. Their safety guards popped and were only being held down by the belts. The floor was up, but Nico still couldn’t bring himself to unbuckle himself. Or open his eyes.

 

“C’mon,” Will said, pressing the button on his buckle and pulling him out of the seat. His hands were shaky on Nico’s arms. “They’re boarding the next set.”

 

Nico finally opened his eyes and was surprised not to find the world spinning. Will was not having a good time—Nico all but carried him to the nearest bench, even though his own legs had the consistency of jelly.. He took a seat next to him and tried to stay calm when Will buried his face in his shoulder.

 

“Gods, make the spinning stop,” Will moaned.

 

Nico patted his hair, trying not to be awkward. “Give it a minute. You gonna throw up on me?”

 

“No?”

 

The questioning tone really should have been where Nico ditched his ass. He should _not_ have been okay with someone throwing up on him—especially not a stranger. But Will was cute and he was weak and Nico happened to be weak for weak boys. He was demented like that.

 

“Want me to get you some water?”

 

Will groaned again before lifting his head to meet Nico’s eyes. “No, I’m okay. I just wanna do something a little less intense next.”

 

“You are _green._ ”

 

“And you are very cute.” Will stood up and held out his hand. He _was_ a little green, but the tremors in his hands had stopped. Nico didn’t want to risk him relapsing back into his motion sickness. He was lucky to spot the most docile ride at any amusement park.

 

When Will realized where Nico was leading him, his face scrunched up.

 

“I dunno if I can do a moving horse.”

 

“Then don’t get on one that moves?” Nico said like it was obvious.

 

He still looked nervous when they climbed onto the platform. 

 

“Hey,” Nico said, “Why don’t you  _ not  _ climb onto a horse?” He pointed him toward one of the carriage benches.

 

Will seemed to relax at that. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

 

The carriages were stuck to the floor of the circular base and not up in the air like most of the horses. Will was all but a limp noodle when he sat down, so Nico put his arm around his shoulders. He rested his head in the crook of Nico’s neck and sighed deeply. Nico tried to pretend he didn’t like the way Will’s cheek warmed up his neck and made him relax.

 

“So what _is_ your type then? If it’s not Skater Dude Percy Jackson, it’s gotta be something interesting.” Will mumbled.

 

There was a moving horse next to them and Nico ignored that it could explode and they would most definitely be hit with shrapnel. He also tried to ignore that Will could _definitely_ feel the pulse in his neck—which was not exactly behaving right now.

 

“I’m not sure,” Nico leaned his head so his cheek was resting on Will’s hair. There was no way he wasn’t hearing his pulse now. “Carries a purse—for medical reasons, obviously. Preferably blonde. Oh, and freckles are mandatory.” He didn’t look at Will and he couldn’t look at the horse—so he just stared straight ahead. At least they were on the ground for this ride.

 

“Why? What’s your type?” Nico asked. He hoped his voice sounded steadier

than he thought it did.

 

“Anxious. Makes fun of my satchel. Adorable. Laughs at me when I scream on Roller Coasters.”

 

“Sounds like a tough glass to fill.”

 

“Oh, it has been, let me tell you—I’ve only ever met one person who seemed to fit all of that.”

 

“No offense, your wish list for guys is a total request for potential disaster.”

 

The ride stopped and everyone started to hop off of their horses to leave. Will sat up and looked Nico in the eye.

 

“This entire park is a request for potential disaster. The horse next to us could have totally killed us if it exploded—but it was a nice ride anyway. Nothing bad happened. Life is a request for potential disaster. The key word is _potential._ ”

 

“That was poetic.”

 

“I prefer melodramatic.”

***

“So I know I said this would be a good idea but really now I’m thinking not so much and I don’t know if this would be safe because, did you realize, that whenever they drop you the _fucking boat just floats in the water, Nico, the boat is offrail._ ”

 

“We all float down here, Will,” Nico joked. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

 

Will looked wary.

 

“I promise the chance of you dying is almost nonexistent.”

 

“Almost.”

 

“Yep, almost. Like in the point zeros. Very small—we don’t have to go on if you’re _really_ scared.”

 

Will cast an eye at the rows of floating ceramic logs and then looked back to the line behind them. Ah, peer pressure. Sometimes it really is a beautiful thing.

 

“No, I would like to not have to squeeze my way out of this mile long line, if that’s okay with you.”

 

“Nice, ‘cause we’re boarding right now,” Nico said and pulled him into the log boat. It was built for four people, two to each backrest,. If it were full two people would be pressed up against one another, chest to back, in between legs, breathing on the back of a neck. He took one seat and Will took the other

 

“Nico, uh, can we switch?” he squeaked. “I’m kinda terrified about riding at the back of rides because _I will fly off_. Can we switch? We’re moving!”

 

They were, indeed, moving. They were about to hook onto the track to take them up, and there was no time to shuffle about and switch places. “Fuck,” Nico muttered. “Okay, I have an idea.”

Nico scrambled into the spot between Will’s legs and moved his freckly hands so they were latched around his waist.

 

“What…?

 

“Just hold onto me. I’ll hold onto the front seat. I have a very good grip and I promise you won’t fly off of this thing with me here—which would really suck because it would literally be _with_ me— _fuck!_ ”

 

The track had disappeared from beneath them and they were in a free-fall they both screamed through. Then they were just floating through the track again and dared to open their eyes. It was actually...pretty.

 

“This was the worst idea. You know they take pictures next time? And it’s a bigger drop?”

 

Nico had gone limp after the tension from the drop, but at this, he took his head from Will’s shoulder.

 

“We could be on the fucking Sploosh, you know, the one where they drop you three times that height in a free-fall for just one time?”

 

“Nonononononono nope no thank you.” They were entering into a dark tunnel. It was short enough to see light at the other side, and Nico knew that nothing jumped out. So Will would be pretty surprised if—

 

“Dude what the hell!”

 

Nico scooped another armful of water onto Will’s face, something he would have been scolded for if any of the workers could have seen him. “Relax! I’m supposed to be the nervous one!”

 

Will let go of his waist and Nico only then realized how tightly he had been holding onto it, tight enough to make him lose his breath when Will’s arms were gone. And then he had a handful of water dumped on his face. He shuddered as Will’s wet arms encircled his waist again as they entered the light.

 

“I hate you.”

 

“I hate _you_.”

 

“We’re gonna dab for the picture they take coming down, right?”

 

“Oh definitely.”

 

And they did. Whhen they went to check the picture, Will’s mouth was open, Nico’s hair was filling it and Nico had like, three chins.They both ended up buying framed pictures and matching keychains. Nico would have gotten a shirt, too, but he felt like maybe that’d be a bit too much.

 

“Wow, I look horrible.”

 

“Yeah, but your hair tastes like strawberries so I guess I won, right?”

Nico wanted to laugh, so he let himself. “I’ll have you know, I’m basically a latchkey kid—so I get to look at this everyday,” Nico said as he hooked it onto his key ring.

 

“I intend to have my nose pierced so I can wear it on my face.”

 

Nico stared at him, skeptical of whether he was joking or not.

“Whatever, Freckles. You do you.”

 

“Tumblr has made you too accustomed to people saying weird shit like that.”

 

“Yes, it has. Tilt-A-Whirl?” Nico asked.

 

“Friendly warning that I may throw up on you.”

 

“You did have a very large helping of my hair, so I guess that’s my fault.”

 

The Tilt-A-Whirl just so happened to be located right next to the Log-Floom, and it was boarding. So they ran. They may or may not have grabbed onto each other’s hands on the way.

 

So Will had actually never been on the Tilt-A-Whirl, Nico learned, and he had no idea that it rose in the air and didn’t just go in circles very fast. It was a surprise that Will took it head on by laughing like a maniac and grabbing Nico’s hand before they were completely stuck to the sides.

 

“I think I just saw my entire life flash before my eyes!”

 

“Now he gets it!” Nico yelled to no one in particular, in fact he was pretty sure that his voice vanished into the wind. “Was it interesting at least?”

 

“No, no it was boring as fuck-- Nico there are gaps in the floor in this one!

 

“The last one didn’t even have a fucking floor!”

 

Will screamed and laughed for the rest of the ride, and when it started to slow, he started to giggle.

 

“My brain is mush.”

 

“You can’t blame that on the ride, Sunshine.”

 

Will laughed at the joke that poked fun at him. Will was laughing at everything right then. “You don’t call _me_ Sunshine, I call _you_ Sunshine!”

 

Nico cracked a smile. “Who made that rule?” The ride wound down and Will seemed to be slipping down the wall.

 

“Me.” He slid the rest of the way down the wall, fingers unlacing themselves from Nico’s as his arms were suspended above his lowered head by the thick safety rope. His giggling went quieter and quieter until it stopped.

 

“Will, are you okay?” Nico let himself out and crouched down in front of Will, the people around them leaving the ride.

 

Will groaned a little and then stood up all at once, bracing himself on the wall for a moment before undoing his rope and taking Nico’s hand to lead them out of the ride. “I’m fine,” he slurred. Nico had never seen a drunk person but he was pretty sure this is what one would look like.

 

“Where are we goin’?” Will asked.

 

“I dunno. You’re leading.”

 

“Oh,” Will said. “Right. C’mon.”

 

Will ended up taking him to a ride that had more of a line than any of the others that day had had.

 

“I’ve never been on this one,” Nico said. The ride was housed inside a tentish building that was closed off on all sides.

 

“It’s great, you’ll love it,” he said. “If they play the right song.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Will grinned at him. “You’ll see.” He looked less drunk now. The walk over must have cleared his head up from the Tilt-A-Whirl fog.

 

The doors opened from the building and people rushed out one side and rushed in the other. The whole semi-long line was admitted—so the ride must have been semi-big, Nico thought. And it was. It was an electric sort of warm from the sun beating down on the tent building all day, and it was completely dark when Will pulled him into one of the seats. The whole ride looked underwhelming, considering it only went on a circle. Will assured him that it would be good anyway.

 

The doors closed and dots of light lit up the ceiling and walls, they looked limitless. Then the ride started up—it was fast enough to throw them up against each other at the turns. The music came on at last and Will did a little ‘yessss’ noise when he heard it. The song was as electric as the rest of the ride was, but Nico had never heard it before. He knew it was Brendon Urie out of typical gay emo instinct.

 

“What song is this?”

 

“Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time.”

 

Nico looked around with amazement when they rounded again and he was pushed into Will’s side by the force of the ride. Nico laughed.     

 

“Oh you were right, this is great!”

 

`        Will laughed, too. The music was blaring down something about bets and ‘making these high heels work.’ “You look so cute!”

 

The ride was loud, so Nico couldn’t hear anything but the music all that well—but he heard _that_ just fine. And he could feel his ears and neck burning. Will looked very nice in the reddish glow of the lasers, his hair tousled and orange shirt wrinkled and his eyes crinkled in the corners from the grin he was wearing and all of a sudden Nico was hyper aware of something. Then Will slammed into his side and they started going backwards.

 

“Holy _shit_ this is new!” Will screamed at the same time Nico screamed: 

 

“WILL! MY TYPE IS TALL AND BLONDE WITH FRECKLES AND BLUE EYES AND A NICE LAUGH AND KISS ME NOW PLEASE?!”

 

So Will did. And even though the atmosphere was hot and Nico was pretty sure thousands of people had had sex to this song before, Will just pressed his lips lightly to Nico’s for a few seconds before he pulled away too fast—and Nico was confused. Until he slammed into Will’s side and figured it out. They laughed the whole rest of the ride, which was sadly only a minute. It seemed like a lot longer, though, with Will holding Nico and Nico holding Will and them taking turns in between jolts to press kisses to each other’s cheeks.

 

It came to a stop and they sat for a minute to soak in the last of the moment.

 

“That was nice,” Will said, hopping out of the cart and extending a hand for Nico to take.

 

“Very.”

 

“It’s almost five,” Will said as they exited back into the light of the world.

 

“That it is. We only have like, ten minutes max before we need to head back to the buses.”

 

“Wanna trade shirts?” Will asked casually. Nico looked at him like he just suggested they get on the wooden roller coaster of death.

 

“Humor me?” Nico asked, “I would like an explanation for that odd proposition.”

 

Will shrugged. “Well, your shirt is a little big and it’d fit me and mine would fit you and it would be fun to go back to our classes with different shirts—we could never tell them and be shrouded in mystery forever.”

 

“You had this planned.”

 

“I did. I wanted to find a random Jupiter Academy kid and trade shirts with them but then I found you and it would have been weird to still ask someone with you there and then we were flirting and I was like ‘hey, Will, you could score a shirt _and_ a number if you play this right’ and honestly we just kissed so I think I played it right.”

 

“Was this all a ploy to get my shirt?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Nico punched him on the shoulder. “You’re an ass.”

 

Will grinned at him. “I am. And you kissed me. And I liked it. And we should really see each other again.

 

Nico probably should have felt more self-conscious about taking off his shirt in front of the guy he just kissed, but mostly he was laughing too hard. Will had his eyes closed anyway, and they were both laughing, and they both had on the others shirts on in less than a minute. Nico didn’t close his eyes. Will had slight abs. They were an outline, mostly, nothing all bulgy like Zach Effron or anything—but it was still super hot? And Nico’s purple shirt was ever so slightly tight around the shoulders, pulling in around his chest.

 

“You look cute in my clothes already,” Will said.

 

Nico took his picture and key chain from Will’s satchel and stole a pen to write his number on the back of his hand.

 

“Wow,” Will said. “The pressure is on now not to smudge it.”

 

Nico handed Will his phone. “And you can put yours in there. Just in case.”

 

After Will finished entering the last digit, he gave the phone back to Nico. Nico looked around for purple and orange shirts, and when he saw none, he stood on his toes to kiss Will’s cheek again. Then he ran away because he’s a man and men run from their prospective boyfriends when they get embarrassed.

 

Needless to say, every one of his friends wanted to know how he had gotten an orange shirt. He slipped the picture into his bag as soon as he got onto the bus and managed to keep anyone from seeing it. He’d be seeing Will again soon, anyway, he was sure—which meant there was no way he wasn’t locking that boy down, which meant they’d meet him soon anyway. He might even have to convince his dad to let him change schools again.

 

He could finish the last two years of school at Half-Blood High. 

 

Not a big deal. 

 

Except it was. Because for once Nico wasn’t scared of anything going wrong..

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my beta reader/editor/writing buddy friend at their ao3 account: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solangeloandotheradorablethings/pseuds/solangeloandotheradorablethings
> 
> Their stories are phenomenal and they never yell at me no matter how long it takes me to finish a project. <3


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